The Songs
by andinify
Summary: Collection of Gadge one-shots based on various songs. Requests are welcomed!
1. Invisible

_**Disclaimer:** Based on Taylor Swift's song Invisible. And the Hunger Games, obviously.**  
**_

_...  
_

Katniss can't see it; the way his eyes follow her everywhere, lit up when he smiles. Of course not. She is Katniss Everdeen. The girl who has been carrying lots of burden, despite her young age for being the anchor of her little family; right after her father was being blown to bits in the mines. She despise the idea of relationships, marriage, and stuff like that with one reason: fear of losing them all.

She will never notice all those pairs of eyes that follow her when she walks by. Including Gale Hawthorne's eyes; which not only to follow her around, but to bore the death glare to any other boys who dare to stare at her _longer _than properly.

Gale will also never get to know that I want him so badly it hurts. The exact way I know he wants her _that _bad. To only consider him exist as more than just a friend, or a hunting partner. The same way as I want _him _to know me more than just a spoiled mayor's daughter who buys his strawberries, the girl who has everything she ever wanted; except him. The silly crush-almost-love of her life.

Katniss knows him better than anyone else, but not as a lover. She doesn't even have the idea of a lover. Maybe she knows, but then what? The fear of losing everyone she loves, is so much greater than his hope, his pray, his wishes, that she somehow will make up her mind and see him in the way he always wants her to; so he could love her, protect her, caress her, or do other things that I exactly want to do for him.

...

If only he knew me.

Or spend a little more time to look deep into this awful blue eyes of me. I said awful, because all I want is just to have that olive skin, dark hair, and grey eyes. The Seam looks. Not this pale skin, blond hair, and blue eyes—townie looks. Which he hates 'til the bones.

But if only, God, just let him look deeper into these eyes. It's sure as hell he will be able to see clearly, the emotions I always hide well in my entire life; but not through my eyes. Eyes speak more than anything, like my mother said. And if only he could just stop the raging hatred towards me, or stop judging me as the spoiled mayor's daughter; which I obviously do not agree one hundred percents.

Imagine how a miracle that would be. The strongest and bravest hunter in the Seam, dates a townie. Not a common match, and probably would only get another snide remarks from people around the district, but imagine. Just imagine.

And it would be so much more beautiful because I would be able to show how much I've loved him, and how I will always do, to him. Instead of just being hid in the deepest corner of my mind and heart. With no one knows.

There is a spark inside him that made me fell in love. The fire, determination, bravery, responsibility. All contained in one single person. Don't forget the look as well.

He may not realize it, but the fire shines. It shines without him even knowing it. It's there in the sea of grey in his eyes. Or showed ever so blatantly by the tensed muscles of his arms.

But she will never see them. Never. Not in a way he wants her to. Not in a way that I do.

It is all it takes to not let my mind wander around every night before I drift off to sleep, thinking about how much things would be different if the circumstances weren't like these days. Or about how can I manage to make him acknowledge me, for the least. That there are other girls who willingly swept off their knees to be with him. Including me.

And if he did know me, then what would happen? Would there be _us_? Or would there be nothing? Would he just take me to the make-out area he has reserved for one night, then dump me like he did with the other girls before Katniss came along?

...

At the time when Katniss was away in her games, I braved myself and approached him. He didn't accept me at all, at first. But I insisted. And eventually, he found comfort in me. We watched the games together. In silence, yes. Just like me and Katniss everyday at school. But I was already grateful for that.

But still, he didn't aware of anything. Anything that I've already tried to give him a hint or two. I tried to show him how much I cared—_care_—for him, but he didn't budge. And when he saw Katniss kissed Peeta for the first time in the cave, he stormed out of the room; ignored me and disappeared all day long. He did come back the next day, apologized for being so rude. But I knew he meant nothing on that apology. All he needed was just someone's comfort. And I was gladly to be the one.

He tensed everytime the make-out scenes were being broadcasted. I saw so many emotions flashed before his eyes. Anger, jealousy, regrets… God, when would he realize that I was sitting right beside him, secretly begging him to give me a chance to be the girl he could possibly love. Because the girl he actually loves, was so far away from home. From him. Kissing another guy, moreover.

There was nothing visible about us during Katniss' first games. And so was afterwards, when she got back, along with Peeta; being the very first pair of star-crossed _victors _in history. He disappeared, never came back. I should had known that, for sure. I was only a filler. A comfort he was looking for when the real comfort he actually cares about is away.

There was still nothing visible among us afterwards. Not even when I brought him the morphling that saved his life from the whipping torment. But I'm thankful for that. Thankful that he still got the chance to continue his life. Even though I was only a shadow that appeared out of nowhere in Katniss's front door, in the late evening, banging the door then shoving the cardbox full with vials of them to her. My mother's morphling. To the girl's hand I envy the most on earth, to save the love of my life. But there is nothing I could do to change that. Not even the magic medicine that, like I said—saved his _Goddamn_ life. He never showed up again, never did when we ran into each other in the street, he said thank you or something. That's what I regret the most. Not that I want to be thanked for that, no. I guess it never occurred to anyone to mention about my little effort.

...

The morphling wasn't the only one on the list of things I really want to rub in his face, to get him realize that I do exist. That I wasn't only the filler he was with when Katniss was away. I'm more than that. I care about him, more than just a simple comfort he was looking for.

There's one thing that I really want him to see. Katniss is the girl on fire, and I want him to see that I have the fire myself as well. Not the burning orange fire like she has, but more to the quiet yet deadly, blue fire.

But this fire, the flaming fire of this bombings; less than an hour after Katniss shot the arrow through the force field above the arena, was the burning orange. The orange that surrounding me right now, sending me to my death. Without having a chance to let him know, about everything.

I yelp in pain as the fire engulfs me, along with my parents. I'm going to leave this world with regrets. And just like how my life has been, I'm going to die; invisibly. I can no longer able to do anything, but wait. Until everything will turn black, and no more Undersee. So I wait, with my parents who have gone already; and unbearable pain. And finally, everything is black.

...

_**A/N: **It's a bit lame. I know. It's one of my apology for you guys who follows my stories, either Blooming Fire or The Alternate Past. I need both of them to be BETAed first, and don't worry, now they are. Just hope my BETA will send it to me as soon as possible. _

_Anyway, I lost my modem for days and I just got the chance to buy a new one, so… A HUGE, ENORMOUS, GIANT, APOLOGIES TO YOU GUYS who have been waiting for so long for me to update something. Meh._

_Okay, so what do you all think about this? Review please. They make my day :)_


	2. Butterfly Fly Away

_This has been stuck on my head for a long time._

_**Disclaimer**__**: **__Inspired by Miley Cyrus ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – Butterfly Fly Away. I own nothing—whether the song or THG—except for the ideas._

…

"Daddy?" The little girl's voice causes him to turn around, just before he turns out the light in her room. "Yes, sweetie?"

"I'm scared." She quietly says. Gale walks back to her bed, and tugs the blanket up to her chin. He then strokes his little girl's hair as he asks, "What are you scared of? I'm here, you know. Your brother is next door. There is nothing you should be scared of, actually."

A stiff smile appears on the little girl's face. "I'm scared of tomorrow, dad. What if the kids there don't like me? What if the teachers are horrible? What if I can't…" She stops short as her father holds his hand up. Gale sighs, then studies his daughter for a while before answering, "Now don't you say that, Madeline Margaret Hawthorne. Look, you're smart. You're fun to be around with, and you're beautiful too. No one would dislike you. The teachers there will love you in an instant."

"Like mom?" She asks innocently, completely unknown to the effect she causes to her father. A pang of hurt hits his chest as Madeline says that. Still fresh in his mind; the last time he held his wife. Madge's hand was so cold, he was scared as hell. She was lying on her bed, _their _bed, counting down to her last breath.

"_You know I love you, right?" She asked. Gale frowned, "Course I do. You're married to me, remember?"_

_Madge let out a weak laugh as her hand flew to her chest, clutching to the fabric over it for her dear life. He cringed, his chest tightened as he saw his wife's pain. How he wished he could take it all away from her. "You've been the greatest husband I've ever asked for, Gale. And I've never thanked you for that. So, thank you. Also for those two beautiful gifts we made together; Leon and Madeline. I know I might not be the best wife that is ever exist, sorry, but I tried to. And just so you know, I would never want to replace what we've had with the anything in this world."_

_He tried to fight back the stinging tears in his eyes as he tightened his grip to her hand. "Don't act like you're dying."_

"_I obviously am, Gale." She told him tiredly. It was already hurt her to breathe, she couldn't think of any other possibilities. He shook his head furiously, "No. You're not. Don't you dare die on me, Margaret Hawthorne. We're not finished on this."_

_She smiled weakly but shook her head. "On what? Marriage? Loving each other? You know neither of them will end. I'm still always going to be yours, you're always mine. No matter what tear us apart. Or even if you find somebody new and…"_

_He cut her by putting his finger over her mouth shot her a furious look. "Don't say that. Ever. Again."_

_Madge sighed, but finally nodded. Her eyes started to droop, "I'm sleepy. Can I take a nap?" she asked. Gale had this strange feeling to not let her, but he could never say no to her. "Sure. I'll be here when you wake up." He told her._

_His wife smiled, and closed her eyes. "I love you. All of you." She whispered before she drifted off to a sleep for an eternity._

…

Gale swallows, then forces a smile for his daughter. "Yes, like your mother."

But Madeline is too precise to miss that. The obvious hurt look on her father's expression for a split second. "Did I make you sad, dad?" She asks cautiously. Gale smiled sadly, and he knows better than to lie to his daughter. She is just as smart and intuitive as her mother was. "A bit."

Quickly, Madeline scoots over and wraps her small arms around her father's waist. "I'm sorry," she mumbles. He strokes her hair gently and tells her, "It's okay, sweetie. It's okay."

She releases her embrace, and let go of her father. Gale again smiles reassuringly, and kisses his daughter's forehead. "Now go to sleep, alright? You've got a big day tomorrow."

But Madeline's eyes start to well up again. "But I'm still scared, dad."

Gale smiles sadly and silently wishes Madge was here. She was always the best one with words; not him. Madge always knew what to say, what to do, how to make their children feel better. He's only the one to bring them fun around, feed them—a father's tasks. Not this. But he has no choice, and a year of his lone time as a widower has quite taught him to do so.

"Madeline, listen. Do you know how much you resemble your mother? Both, physically and characteristically. You have the same beautiful golden hair, pointed nose, blue eyes, pale skin, just like she did. You're just as sweet, infuriating, cute, adorable, girl, just like she was. And another thing that you should know: your mother was a bright student. She's brilliant, yet shy, but still; she had her own special place in everyone's heart. Teachers at school back then fell instantly for her; hence her becoming their most favorite student of all time. And if she could be like that, then so can you. And besides, it's not like this is your first time to go to school, right?"

A tear rolls down the little girl's cheek as she hears that. "But I can never be like mom. She's perfect, I'm not."

This is harder than Gale originally thought. He stretches out his hand to grab Madeline's little one, and say, "Of course you can't. She was she. You, are you. Even though I said you two are so much alike, doesn't mean that you have to be like her. I didn't say that. You're different from your mother, even so much better. If she could do what she did back then; when life was so much harder than today for both of us, why can't you now? If somehow the reality turns out not in the way you expect it to be, I'm sure you'll work it out. We're Hawthornes, we always know what to do, right?"

She wipes her cheek and looks up to her father as a small smile slowly forms on her tiny lips. "You think so?"

Gale nods. "Yep. You're smart, look at how you turn out to be at the age of six. I wasn't even as smart you are right now when I was six."

Madeline can't help but chuckle. "Thanks dad."

Gale smiles and gently pushes his daughter back down. "Anytime. Now go to sleep, alright?" He tells her as he tucks his daughter into her thick blanket. Madeline obeys, she pulls the blanket then up to her chin, but she still has something on her mind. "Dad? Can you sing to me? The song mom used to sing to me before I went to sleep."

His breath got caught in his throat. The song, the ancient short song Madge really loved to hear. She somehow always managed to get him sing it for her once both of their kids were fast asleep. Then she would drift off into unconsciousness, the way she made her children would. Since her funeral, he tried not to remember it again; brings too much pain and hurt to him. But just like to his wife, he also can never say no this little one; the miniature of Madge. Madeline is absolutely the spitting image of her mother. A thing he still can't decide—whether it is for him to be thankful of; because with that then he will always have a piece of his wife with him, or hate it because then Madeline will always remind him that Madge isn't there with him anymore. And it aches him to no end.

"Of course." Is what he finally says. Madeline's smile widens, as well as her eyes lit up; and he decides that he doesn't regret saying yes.

"_Caterpillar in the tree,_

_How you wonder who you'll be,_

_Can't go far, but you can always dream._

_Wish you may and wish you might,_

_Don't you worry, hold on tight._

_I promise you there will come a day,_

_Butterfly fly away._

_Butterfly fly away,_

_Flap your wings, now you can't stay._

_Take your dreams, and make them all come true._

_Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away._

_We've been waiting for this day,_

_All along and just knowing what to do._

_Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away."_

As he finishes the song, Madeline is already snoring quietly. He smiles, and kisses the top of her head before walk out of her room. He stops in his track when he sees someone; slumps down against the wall near the door, head in his hands. Leon.

"Hey buddy, why are you awake? I thought you're asleep already." Asks Gale to him as he ruffles the boy's hair. He sits down next to him, and nudges him with his elbows. The boy looks up, and his expression shocks Gale.

Gale doesn't need to voice out his questions because Leon has already known what his father would ask. "I heard you talked with Madeline." He says carefully, and looks up to search for his father's look on his face. If he's hurt, Gale is sure as hell good at hiding it. The older of the two gestures him to continue. Leon clears his throat and drops his gaze to the ground before he speaks up, "I miss her. Mom. A lot," he chokes.

When Gale turns to take a look at his son, he's more shocked than before to see tears streaming down his face. Madeline is not the only one that loves Madge very much. Leon does too. When she died, Leon nearly became a shell of a person. The person he talked to decreased drastically, aside from his father and sister also a few best friends, other than that; no. He turned into the person he wasn't before. During his life when Madge was still here, Leon was a cheerful person. Full of jokes, typical of an ice-breaker, always knew what to say or what to do. But right after Madge's funeral, he changed. Not only him, actually. Gale did too.

But what shocks him the most is that Leon is _crying_. He didn't even cry when he was being told that Madge died. He just stormed out of the room, locked himself in his room for hours. Gale knows as much that just like Madeline who is a spitting image of her mother; Leon is his. They're so much alike, the way Madeline is with her mother. And if there is something that can be the most similar thing between Gale and Leon; it's their ability to hide and bury their feelings deep down in the corner of their mind.

He hastily pulls Leon into his arms, rocking him like a little child again as the boy lets out a strangled sobs into his chest. Leon is ten, but he has lost a mother. Gale lost his father when he was fourteen, so he could only just imagine how his children feel. The love of a mother is what they need right now. But all that's left is just her faint memories, and him; a father who still knows next to nothing about being a good single parent.

"I miss her too, you know. Always has, always do, and I always will. Your sister misses her too, as you've heard. But your mother wouldn't want us to be like this; mourning over her all the time for the rest of our lives. She would want us to get over it, but of course without forgetting her. We still can see her everywhere; she's there in your sister, you can see yourself how much she resembles her mother. We can see her in all of her belongings, all of her works around the house, and anything else you can find. But not mourn over her like this. She would have scolded you if she found out that you shut the world out of you. I'm worried about you, buddy. I don't like seeing you like this."

Leon pushes himself against his father's chest. "But I just…"

Gale shakes his head. "No buts. I know how you feel. I lost my dad too when I was young. But I knew that he wouldn't want me to just sit there by myself and do nothing aside mourn for him; the rest of my family needed me. So I moved on. But I'll never forget him. He's the best role model I've ever had for the best fourteen years of my life. I managed to hang on, now's your turn to."

Now Leon can see what people see in him and his father. Why they're so much alike, not just physically; since people tells him that he's just like a twin to his own father, if not differed by their age. And although those facts hurt him, he's thankful for that too. Needless to say, he agrees to what his father said. His mother will be everywhere. They can move on; just like she would want them too, but they can still hold on to a piece of her, each time they find one.

…

_**A/N**__**: **__An AU where Madge survived the bombings, lived throughout the war, fell in love with Gale, married to him, and had two children; but died of a certain sickness._

_The end is kind of lame, obviously. I'm utterly confused as to how to end that-_- And yes, despite how much I hate it that Madge died; I had to do that. Meh. Thoughts?_


	3. What He Deserves

_**A/N: **__I feel bad for not updating anything. Lack of inspirations, sorry. But well, here is something I wrote last night._

_**Disclaimer: **__Oh, by the way, I had this idea looong ago when __**Belle453 **__told me about OneDirection's song: They Don't Know About Us. Then the other ideas hit me—from the song Little Thing (OneDirection), and Beautiful Goodbye (Maroon5). Yet fortunately, I don't own neither The Hunger Games, or the songs. Not even in my dreams._

…

_The faint unnatural rustling of the grass was what caught his attention. He turned around, and there she was. Ever so radiant with her pristine white dress clung to her small features, Madge stood there. In the meadow far in the edge of the Seam, where she was absolutely not supposed to be._

"_What do you want?" He growled. All he wanted was a lone time, just so he could dwell on things he should had done. Not that it helped, but he just wanted to think about it. He wanted to know what made him to be such a coward enough for not volunteering out there, in the Town Square, and stood along with Katniss on that stage. Making sure that she would be the one to come home alive._

_Yet the fence was fully electrified. His way to get to his sacred lone place was unaccessible. Hence he just stayed there, looking out to the expanse of the woods from the inside part of the fence._

"_Figured you might be here. How are you holding up?"_

_Not something he expected, honestly. Why would the mayor's daughter care for his state? They had never been the best of acquaintances, let alone friends._

_Despite not getting an answer, Madge strided forward and settled herself next to him in a fair distance—not too far, but not too close either._

_Out from the corner of his eyes, he eyed the girl beside him cautiously, trying to figure out what was her motive to come looking for him. They may shared a friend, but to deem that as a reason for her to wander around far until the outskirt of her wrong side of town, particularly seeking for a certain illegal hunter like him, it just sounded so unlikely._

"_It's the right thing to do, you know. Not volunteering."_

_It was shocking, really. Gale honestly was taken aback by this. How could Madge know so much? But his pride was too high, he would never let his own emotion showed off to the world. No, he was always the closed one when it came to emotions._

"_And how do you know that, Princess Know-It-All?" He asked sarcastically. Madge glared at him, but answered it anyway without sparing anymore glance other than the previous one._

"_I once thought about volunteering for Prim, too, because I knew that Katniss would surely volunteer in a heartbeat. I wish I could react faster though, but Katniss still beated me into it. I regret it, Katniss is far more needed here than I am. And then Peeta was called, I felt like the world was crumpled in on me. I kept wishing that someone, maybe his brothers or you, to step forward and take his place. Yet much to my disappointment, neither of you did. But then I came to a realization that you too are far more needed here than in the games. Katniss is strong, she can handle herself. But your family and hers, they can't. Besides, I'm sure Peeta will bend over backwards to protect her there in whatever possible way he can find."_

_Gale didn't miss a beat to hear her voice cracked in the end. Even though there were many things that he wanted to know, the one that he blurted out seemed to be more interesting than the others. "Are you… Peeta…?"_

_Madge casted a glance right before a single tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it before letting out a hollow laugh. "Obvious, isn't it? But no matter what he will only have an eye for her. Everyone does."_

_It clicked in his mind, then. Madge pretty much knew what he felt. He would never say it aloud, but his feelings for Katniss also seemingly had turned to be something more than just in a friendly term._

"_So… Peeta… he's been having a crush or something on Katniss?" He asked, the thought honestly didn't sit well with him._

"_If something means more than a crush, then yes. He does have something for her. Been forever I recall, ever since he first laid eyes on her."_

_His jaw dropped._

"_Jealous, Hawthorne?" As if she could read her mind. And she oddly could somehow. Which was somewhat creepy, he had to admit._

"_Speak to yourself, Princess." He shot her back. Madge shrugged, "I'm used to it. But you, now that's a different case."_

_He glared and she chuckled, "Riling Gale Hawthorne up is a lot of fun." She chimed before standing up and brushed off the grass from her skirt. Madge then looked down on him, and tipped her head towards the fence's direction. "You might want to avoid the woods. Twelve got a part under the limelight this year, with Katniss being the very first volunteer in our district. My dad can't let the fence unelectrified for a while, or so I heard."_

_The hunter snapped his head up, "What? Then how am I going to feed my family? And Katniss'? You know it as well as I do that I've got twice the burden with Katniss gone."_

_Her lips formed a tight line as she looked up, gazing far across the distance. "How much time do you need?"_

_He wasn't prepared to hear that. "Uh, maybe five?"_

_Madge nodded. "Five it is, then. I'll tell my dad to turn off the fence for five hours tomorrow. From five in the morning to ten sharp. Other than that, it'll be fully electrified. Get out of there before ten, I'd say. Then wait for me here. I'll tell you the next five hours for the day after tomorrow."_

_The freaking Mayor's daughter was helping him to poach. Was there anything else weirder than that?_

"_Why don't you just set the fence off at the same time everyday? Ease your work, you don't have to leave your castle to tell me."_

_She narrowed her eyes, "It'll be suspicious, silly. Neither I or my dad will risk that. Deal with it." She snapped._

_Gale quickly put his hands up in surrender. "Whoa, okay, I'm sorry. Just asking. Didn't think that far."_

_Madge pursed her lips and huffed, "Remember, before ten o'clock here tomorrow."_

_By that, she walked away._

_..._

_They continued like that._

_The hunter from the Seam and the Mayor's daughter met up at the meadow every single day, sometimes briefly and business-time only, other times they would occasionally sat side-by-side in utter silence. Neither of them complained, a company that knew exactly how you felt and thought actually was not really bad._

_He finished up early, and waited for her the day after Peeta announced his eternal crush on Katniss—the day the games began. When Madge arrived, she knew Gale took it rather seriously. It wasn't something he had prepared for, she noticed. Gale Hawthorne was complicated, he wasn't able to sort his feelings out in a matter of short time._

_But she didn't say it aloud. She sat there, next to him, closer than yesterday, and nudged him gently. He didn't say anything when his eyes met hers. Madge offered a sad smile, a silent consolation she could manage. She knew Gale's pride would refuse if she tried to offer something more, like something about Peeta doing that merely to get her home. Because it would be a lie. All Peeta said was sincerely the truth. And that wasn't something Gale possibly needed that time._

_And she couldn't be more right. Her smile was enough to let him know, that he wasn't alone. Madge was strong enough to accept the fact that her eternal crush had an eternal feelings on her own bestfriend, so why couldn't he?_

_..._

_The night Katniss and Peeta kissed, Gale stormed off to the meadow. But when he arrived there—in their rendezvous tree—he found out that he wasn't the only one that ran away. Leaning over the tree trunk, wiping silent tears that slowly dripping from her blue eyes, was Madge._

_Gale didn't know where the urge came from, but he felt it strong enough to force him to do something for her. He didn't realize that he had been depending on Madge all these time. Without her, he would never be able to feed two families. Without her, he would never be able to go through day by day, watching his loved one struggling in the games._

_Despite knowing that Madge had feelings for Peeta, and he himself for Katniss, Gale still put his arms around her, pulling her close as he slid down and sat on the ground. He could feel her tears soaked in his shirt, but strangely he didn't mind. Sometimes, the strongest one has the toughest thing to deal with, his mom said once. Sometimes, the strong Madge Undersee that had been keeping himself strong, had her own limits. Like now._

_..._

_First time Gale took Madge to his house, he expected to see a look of disgust in her face. But there wasn't any. Instead, she looked dazed. And he hadn't even started with the look she had when Posy ran out from the room, and stared wide-eyed to their guest._

_The next hour, he saw her with his siblings, goofing around like nothing was happening. He wanted to be angry to her, to yell at her that their loved ones were fighting for their lives in the games, but he couldn't bring himself to. Seeing how good she was getting along with his siblings, with a huge carefree smile and laughters that constantly rang in his ears, made something stirred down in his stomach. He tried to push it down, but he couldn't. Everytime he tried, it vanished for a moment. But then when he turned to see her again, it came back._

_And Gale didn't know if he should be relieved that _maybe_ he could get over Katniss, or terrified that this was _the_ Mayor's daughter he was dealing with._

_..._

_Gale and Madge had come so far to back off now. They had begun to walk out in public together, ignoring the whispers that came along with it._

"_They don't know anything about us." He told her, and she agreed. No one knew about the nights they spent together, just laid down and stared up to the sky, watching the stars. Or those moments when one of them would scoot closer to another, soaking in the warmth that felt to comfort both of them better than his or her own._

_And the kiss._

_The one that sent electricity down on both spines. It was the night when Katniss went to the feast, trying to get Peeta's medicine. Madge was frightened, and Gale had no more hesitance as he wrapped his arms around her. And when Madge started to ramble about how worried she was of Katniss—not Peeta—Gale didn't know why he swooped down and kissed her._

_..._

_It went on that way._

_Madge snuck out of her house at night, meeting up in the meadow with him. Cuddling up to each other, whispering to each other about anything. Sometimes what each other thought of the games, other times it was just about the little details they wanted to know about the other._

_She liked to sleep with her window not fully closed, he found out._

_He feared of being underground, she noted._

_She hated the Capitol just as much as he did, was what shocked him._

_He didn't actually hate her, was her turn to be surprised._

_They would laugh, and find out about the details of little things as the night passed by. But good thing never lasted, though._

_..._

_The night before Katniss and Peeta arrived back to District Twelve—victorious—they met up again in the meadow. This time, a tension hung over them as they stared eye-to-eye with each other._

"_We can't do this anymore, Madge."_

_She knew that. It had crossed her mind a few times, but she chose to ignore it. Those time she got to spend with him, was the most pleasant time she ever had. She got to experience the feeling of having siblings with the tree youngest Hawthornes. She got to know how it felt like to have a real family, with a warm and simple dinner where everyone gathered around, like a normal family would. Something she had never known had it not been for Gale and his family._

_But she was also fully aware, that with Katniss getting home, she stood no chance against her. Katniss would always be Gale's choice, and Peeta would always be hers. Or so she thought._

_Without her realizing it, tears had poured down from her eyes. He rushed to her without thinking, could never stand it if she cried. He held her, whispering apologize over and over again, and lastly, he kissed her tears goodnight before disappearing in the darkness._

_..._

_When she saw him whipped, Madge could feel her heart being ripped apart by each lash he got. She was just about to step forward and tried to stop Thread, but for the third time, Katniss beated her. Took a whip on her face, but the whipping was finally stopped._

_Madge wanted so bad to help Gale, be with him, stayed on his side, but she knew better. Neither Katniss, or Peeta, or Haymitch knew about them. And from what she had found out from sneaking around in her father's office, Katniss had had enough burden on her shoulder. There's no way she could have a heart to add more._

_But she still wanted to help. The pain was undoubtedly unbearable for Gale, despite how strong he was. Like her mother. She was a strong woman, but it didn't help her when it came to her painful headaches._

_It drove her thought to the morphling._

_And she ran back to her house, asking her mother if she could give a few vials for him, and ran back through the blizzard._

_..._

_She was in the meadow when they announced the Victor's getting back into the arena._

_He found out about the morphling long ago, but he couldn't bring himself to thank her. He was scared. Afraid the old feelings would resurface, getting him into a more complicated knot of his life. Katniss was confused between him with Peeta, and he didn't want to confuse himself with Katniss and her._

_But he knew, there was a debt to pay._

"_Why?" He asked._

_Madge didn't turn. But her eyes flickered, and it was enough as an acknowledgement. "I did what I thought was right." Was her answer._

"_But through a blizzard, Madge? Really?"_

_She finally turned. "Would you rather have it the other way? Me, ignoring the fact that you were hurt? I'm sorry if that's what you think, but it won't change a thing. I've delivered the morphling, deal with it."_

_The coldness in her eyes tore him inside. Her piercing blue eyes used to look at him with such tenderness, unlike this one._

"_I'm sorry."_

_She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, then shrugged. "For what?"_

_He sighed, "For being an asshole. Everything we ever had, Madge, I'm sorry. That- I didn't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have done that."_

_Her finger suddenly was jabbing at his chest, "So you regret it? Oh, how sweet. Go back to your girl, then." She snapped, then stalked away from him._

_Gale didn't miss the tears brimming in her eyes before she turned around. And he knew right away—even though Madge probably didn't realize it—that somehow, Madge had regarded him more than a normal company when her usual ones were away._

_..._

_He casted her glances every here and then, all the time she was there to bring the newspapers. When she explained to Katniss and Peeta about the other possible Victors that were assumed to get back into the arena with Haymitch's help, he couldn't stop himself from staring at her way more than he should. She ignored him, though. That's what hurt him the most. But he couldn't go back to her, and get what they had back, because he knew it's wrong. A miner Seam rat and a townie had never ended up with happily ever after, let alone him and the mayor's daughter._

_..._

_A few hours before firebombs rained down on their District, Madge came running to his house._

"_They're coming. Get out of the here as fast as you can, tell the others to be ready. We don't know when exactly, but we're sure that they're really coming tonight."_

_She was talking in full-speed he couldn't understand well. And the first thing that came up in his mind to shut her up was with a kiss. And that he did._

_A stifled squeal tried to escape her throat, but no such luck._

_Gale felt it right there. The fluttery feelings down in his stomach everytime he got to kiss her. Unlike the one with Katniss, back before the whipping happened. That one felt wrong. With Madge, everything felt so right._

_But again, good thing had never lasted long. Madge pulled away too soon, with fear evident in her eyes. "Gale, I'm serious."_

_He frowned, "So am I, Madge."_

_A small, wary smile appeared on her face. "I know. But we have no time for that. Maybe later. Listen to me, warn the others in the Seam. Tell them to be ready. Like I said, we don't know when exactly they will come. Go to the meadow, tear down the fence, run as far away as possible. Help will come."_

_She just mentioned the Seam. "But how about you? And all the people in Town?"_

_Madge shook her head weakly. "There's no time to knock on their door one by one. I've called the bakery, and a few close neighbors. Hope it's enough."_

_One thing that he still didn't quite understand. "But you said that help will come. From who?"_

_Her voice then dropped in a husky whisper as she spoke, "Thirteen."_

_Something vibrated in her pocket, gave him no time to ask further about what she might probably meant by it. She sighed, "I have to go. Be safe, will you?"_

"_As long as you too."_

_A reassuring smile flashed across her face before she stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a last lingering kiss. "Don't worry about me."_

_He grabbed her wrist before she disappeared. "Madge, please. Promise me."_

_She looked down on his hand, then nodded. "I promise."_

_He saw the red flames licking her house. Still, deep down he hoped that she had made it out._

_But when he looked for her among the survivors of the bombings, he didn't find her anywhere._

_..._

_He tried to drown himself in whatever possible way he could find. Work with Beetee, designing bombs and weapons, fought front-row in the final battle, all to avenge her death. He never found her. Each time a new pact of survivors came to Thirteen, he would be the first to ask for the details. But still, no Madge Undersee._

_He even tried to convince himself that he's still in love with Katniss. But the more he thought about it, the more wrong it sounded to him._

_Katniss might be the girl on fire, the mockingjay, the symbol of rebellion; but still. None of that could ever compare with what Madge Undersee meant to him._

_Every single time he closed his eyes, her features danced in his mind. Her laughters, her bright piercing blue eyes, her golden curls, her soft lips. He still remembered it all. And it pained him to know that he was the one that's still alive instead of her. The rebels were halfway to victory. Victory meant a better life for anyone. And Madge of all people deserved a better life. She was his sunshine, with her radiant energy shone bright everytime she was around. Madge was there in his darkest time, those times when people chose to distance themselves with him. She herself, chose to be close. And the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to whack himself upside down for not realizing it sooner._

_He had come to Madge Undersee more than he should._

_..._

All those come rushing back to his mind as he stared mouth agape when Jared walks in with his newly recruited department partner. Pale-skinned blonde, with faint freckles smeared all over her delicate face. Even from afar, he still can make out all of that. The details that without him knowing it, have been stamped in his mind for what feels like forever. The image of their district's destruction, the night he saw her house went up in flames, fire dancing up in front of his eye. He remembers it clearly, there's no other time he ever felt as hopeless and crushed as he was that night—despite him being as hopeful as he could. He wasn't as hopeless when he saw Katniss kissed Peeta in their first games for the first time, not when he heard the news they were going back into the arena for the Quell, not even when he was captured by the Peacekeepers in the final battle in the Capitol. No, he was hopeless, but those weren't as bad as when he finally found out that Madge is gone. _Was _gone. It was as if his heart being grabbed rougly out of his body, leaving a dark massive wound that could never be mended.

But now here she is. Or the mere ghost of her. or someone that is just so similar with her. Gale doesn't want to hold his hope high, his brokenheart has been painful enough to bear with lately.

Yet when she looks up, and her ever so brilliant shade of blue eyes locked with the steely ones of his, he knows right then that it's really her. The one he's been looking for. And still as beautiful as she always was—is. The wind just seemed like it's been knocked out of his lungs. He forgets how to breathe. And if it's not for the sound of Ian, his best friend and assistant clearing his throat, he would—could probably stay that way forever.

"Gale," he coughs. The called one finally manages to tear his eyes away from Madge, just at the same time she drops her gaze and sits down next to Jared. Ian glares at him, then whispers in a husky, stern voice. "You were saying?"

He tries his best to snap himself out of it. "Oh, yeah, well, so that is my main reason to focus our rebuilding project this year in District Four and Ten, seeing how important they are in food providing and else." He stutters. Thankfully the others nod their heads in approval, just as a note is being thrusted in his direction. From Jared.

_Car accident on the way. Terrible traffic. Sorry boss, you okay with my choice?_

And right as he finishes reading the note, his eyes land on the list of his meeting attendees, right at the top of his stack of files, exactly where he places Jared's note.

There it is, the name he should have known before. _Madge Undersee_, right under the name of _Jared Howe. _He knew already Jared's previous partner from his department got into another business and had to quit their project, but what he didn't know was the one who replaces him. Gale didn't bother to read who's going to be in their team because, well, he trusts Jared enough to know that Jared would surely choose the best one.

"Okay, I think it's time for coffee break. Kyle, please fill in our newcomers about what we have talked before their arrival. Thank you." He announces, and people start buzzing with relief. Gale dashes out to the balcony without sparing any glance. He needs fresh air to breathe normally.

"You look like you just saw a ghost." Ian's voice rings out behind him. Gale turns and rubs his temples with closed eyes. "Well, I literally just did, O'Shea."

Ian turns back to look at the room. He remembers Gale was stunned since Jared comes in with his new partner. A blonde.

Then something clicks in his mind.

"Don't tell me that she's-"

"Yeah. She is _the _Madge Undersee I've always been talking about."

...

Jared is confused. Is something wrong with his newly choosen partner? He hopes not. Madge is one of his brightest colleague. And his close friend, too. He knows her well enough to deem her capable enough of handling this project. She's a politician daughter after all, she knows how to deal with this kind of thing ever since she was still a kid.

But the way Gale Hawthorne stared at her as if she was his nightmare unnerves him. He fidgets with his hand as Kyle fills them in of what the meeting has discussed. It was short, Kyle seems in a rush to get his coffee so Jared tries his hard to concentrate and understand fast of whatever Kyle is saying.

Right as Kyle finishes, Madge quickly turns on her heels, urgent evident in her eyes. "I need to talk to Gale. Um, I mean, Mr. Hawthorne."

He looks at her with a quizzical look, and Madge blushes as she replies, "Remember the one I told you about my old friend from Twelve?"

That's when Jared finally puts two and two together. "Gosh, Madge. Go!"

The blonde laughs as she hastily kisses his cheek. "Thanks, Jared! Promise I'll do anything you want, thanking you for bringing me here."

He grins. "Tempting."

A scold is what he gets before Madge turns around and rushes to the balcony.

...

And Madge runs. But she stops dead in her track when she sees Gale is talking with the guy Jared told her is Ian O'Shea, Gale's right hand.

Madge braces herself anyway. She has to do this. It's now or never. Well, not really though. But still.

She pushes the door open, and clears her throat. Both men turn their heads, and Ian's face contorts into an amused expression as he saunters towards her, then nods with respect Madge honestly surprised about. "Took you long enough to finally come up." He winks, then disappears behind the glass wall.

They're left alone now. Gale takes a shaky breath as he steps forward. Madge does so, taking cautious steps before he groans and pulls her into his arms. "You goddamn woman."

And she laughs with tears in her eyes, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and buries her face into the crook of his neck, finally feeling home for the first time after what feels like an eternity.

...

People starts to go back inside the room, and there's no wonder why they stare wide-eyed to the view just behind the glass wall, far at the end of the balcony.

_The _Gale Hawthorne, literally crushing their newest team member in his arms, with his face like it's on the verge of crying.

"Hey Jared," Ian calls out. The brunette turns his head as he sips on his coffee. "Yeah?"

"So that's _the _Madge Undersee, huh?"

Jared grins. "Yep. And sheesh, I had no idea she was talking about _our_ Gale Hawthorne."

Ian chuckles, "Strange universe, small world. Although I have to admit, she looks so much better than how Gale described her. More… fascinating."

Someone clears her throat, and Ian turns with an unabashed grin. "Oh, don't worry honey. You're still the most beautiful and wonderful and stunning woman in my eyes, Wanda. No doubt about that."

There's a groan in the room, following by someone muttering of that's why there shouldn't be any engaged pair in their project team. Ian grins wickedly, "Shut it, people. Now, enough with the show. Gale would slave us all if he finds out we've been watching him."

"And Madge would turn into a mad red lobster when she's embarrassed." Jared adds.

Ian chuckles as he strides forward to the end of the glass wall, and pulls the wire that connects with the curtain. He knows better to give his bestfriend some privacy. If there's one thing Gale hasn't got but does deserve of, it's happiness.

…

_**A/N: **__Yes. The names are familiar, aren't they? Jared, Ian, Wanda, Kyle xD I don't own any of them either. They're all belong to the lovely Stephenie Meyer._

_I'm not in the mood for angst right now. Just wrote an angst for my friend yesterday, and it HURTS. He was sadistic to ask me to write a story with such a plotline._

_Anyway, next chapter will be based on the song __**ilovenutella99**__'s requested! I've been raking my brain as to how to do that. So… yeah. No promise for short delay._


End file.
